Sleep Well Beast Lyrics
We've been stuck out here in the hallway for way, way too long
I'm at a loss, I'm at a loss, I'm losing grip, the fabric's ripped
Go back to sleep, let me drive, let me think, let me figure it out
How to get us back to the place where we were when we first went out
[Chorus]
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
[Verse 2]
Losin' parents, losin' sense, I don't know what we should do
Became a father when I was still a son, she brings it out in you
See you at the end of the party with your wild white eyes
And fillin' up the teacup with gin in your secret postcard life
[Chorus]
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
I'll tell you about it some time, the time we left
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
We leave our saviors wrapped around the necks of new machines
Or at the ends of threads that hold their bodies to the ground
And then the men who look a little like they feel like me
Offered them some bottled water, then they cut 'em down
I came back to see if you were here, but everything was different
Your voice was low, you blended in, I could barely hear you speak
You were always my last second bright spot in the distance
Thought that you were somethin' good that I would always keep
I'll still destroy you someday, sleep well, beast; you as well, beast
I'll still destroy you someday, sleep well, beast; you as well, beast
I'll still destroy you someday, sleep well, beast; you as well, beast
I'll still destroy you someday, sleep well, beast; you as well, beast
[Instrumental Outro]
About
It feels like we’re in this period where there’s a tendency to just want to hibernate when things get really fucking weird. It’s an escape to try to sleep through it, but the beast for me isn’t a negative thing: it’s the future. We’ve all got kids, and when I see all of our kids… They’ve got a challenge ahead of them, but I feel positive about the future. The beast is like, wait until the youth wakes up. It’s an abstract thing.
- Matt Berninger
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
That song, “Sleep Well Beast,” is one that took the longest to make and was also the most fun. It’s impressionistic, and it goes many places. It’s also maybe the longest song that’s ever been on a National record, so it felt like a weird focus even though it’s not a single. Somehow it seemed to sum up a lot of the energy that was going around the band.
- Aaron Dessner
- 2.Day I Die
- 3.Walk It Back
- 5.Born to Beg
- 6.Turtleneck
- 7.Empire Line
- 9.Guilty Party
- 12.Sleep Well Beast
